


One Step Heavy and Two Steps High

by S-684 (orphan_account)



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: First Time, Incest, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-01 21:07:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12712986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/S-684
Summary: He had seen a photo, once, of Rick when he was a lot younger. It looked to be ripped straight from a high-school yearbook, the edges frayed and a bit frail in his hands. He had tucked it back into the drawer he found it in, but not before getting a good look. Rick was- well, younger. The lines around his mouth smoothed out with youth, eyes not quite yet attacked by crow’s feet, forehead unblemished by the deep creases of age.--"Anonymous asked: Morty going back in time to DIDDLEY DOO THE FUCK out of young rick in highschool?"





	1. Hold me close when it's over

Morty’s palms were sweating, barely able to grip the portal gun in his hands. He knew that taking it was super risky- hell, if he got stuck or in trouble, he wouldn’t have Rick to back him up- and that in and of itself was such a terrifying, bone-chilling fear. It sat in the pit of his stomach, curling, pulsing, making bile rise in the back of the teen’s throat and he felt like he was swallowing glass. Pushing down the invasive thought- and wiping his hands on his jeans for the third time, he prays and sets the portal gun in the proper mode- time travel.

 It was something Rick was ‘fiddling with’, a long-term project that they’d been doing supply runs on for months. Whenever Morty asked about why they were doing this in the first place, Rick shrugged him off and told him to “Go j-jerk it or somethin’, Morty, I’m so- this is important.” It was upsetting every time; the teen couldn’t help but feel used, the fear of Rick actually, truly hating him whispering in his ear like a lover. He just wanted to be in the know, didn’t his grandpa get it? Morty shook his head, trying to steady his trembling hands. He had to focus on the task at hand- getting the time right.

 He had seen a photo, once, of Rick when he was a lot younger. It looked to be ripped straight from a high-school yearbook, the edges frayed and a bit frail in his hands. He had tucked it back into the drawer he found it in, but not before getting a good look. Rick was- well, younger. The lines around his mouth smoothed out with youth, eyes not quite yet attacked by crow’s feet, forehead unblemished by the deep creases of age. For lack of a better word, he was super fucking hot and Morty was outraged. Mostly at himself, at the notion that he found this younger Rick, perhaps just before his prime, quite the tall glass of water- furious at the sudden boner he had to hide when he shuffled off to his room to jack off with such ferocity that his dick kinda hurt for the rest of the day.  
He was determined to go back in time, now that he knew he could, to try and- he paused, looking down at the portal gun in his hand. The contents within the dome swirled, a blinding neon green, casting a glow on his skin. What did he want to do? Just… see him? What was he hoping for out of this?

 “Ah, jeez…” The teen ran a hand through his hair- sweaty again, he noted- and decided to just wing it. Worst case scenario, he just portals home before something could go wrong. He just needed to get the thought out of his mind- of that younger Rick, with his hands on Morty’s throat, teasing him, begging for him. Without another moment of hesitation, Morty set the date on the portal gun and shot out its customary gooey-looking portal, walking through quickly before he lost his nerve.

He wound up in an alleyway, in a town not all that familiar to him. The sky was a bit grey, with maybe the threat of rain- Morty groaned. He wishes he brought a coat as soon as he feels the first raindrops on his face. In a bit of a rush, he pushes out from the small space between these buildings- and crashes directly into someone on the sidewalk.

“Ah!” Morty squeaks, falling to the ground while the stranger seems to stand tall.

"I-I-I-I’m so sorry, I wasn’t- I didn’t see where I was going, I-“

"K-kid, relax."

Morty’s stomach jumped straight into his throat. No- no fucking way- he looked up at a much, much younger Rick Sanchez, towering over him and offering him a hand up. Morty took it shakily, let his to-be-grandpa pull him to his feet. He tired to take everything in at once; the way his hands felt softer, less paper-like, the easy smile on his face, his eyes, the plain umbrella that now covered them both. 

"You lost or-or-or something?” This un-grandpa’d Rick asked, looking him up and down. “I’ve never seen you around here b-before.”

“Oh.” Morty took his hand back, averting his eyes from the intense stare of the taller man. “Jeez, I uh. I guess I’m a-a-a-a-a little lost. Hah." 

This younger Rick seemed to contemplate him for a moment, looking him up and down, almost judging him. "C'mon, you- you can crash at my place. No point in staying out in this shitty weather.”

He began walking in a direction, and Morty followed. Somehow it was always like this, with him a step or two off of Rick’s rhythm, watching his back and willing himself to go forward despite the ugly thing in his guts squirming around, as if to remind him that’s he’s so painfully out of place here, with this younger version of the most bitter man in the galaxy. In countless dimensions, this was what it was; Morty gripping his grandpa’s coattails, watching for dangers his grandpa’s incredibly inebriated mind wouldn’t catch, helping him, but not often being helped. It was routine, and it was normal, and Morty almost forgot for a moment that he was decades back on this Earth’s timeline, and that Rick wasn’t always just some teen punk helping him get out of some nasty weather. 

“How old are you?”

“O-oh! I’m sixteen…” Morty looked away, watching the rain fall into a puddle at the crosswalk they were waiting at. Rick nodded from beside him, giving him a look. “H-how about you?”

“Eight-teen."

There wasn’t too much to say- Morty asked about the town, about Rick, listening to him talk about moving out of his parent’s at seventeen, about his part-time work, about graduation peeking around the corner and how he was gonna do something great, someday. Morty couldn’t agree more, nodding along with his babble, playing with the slightly damp hem of his shirt. 

In no time at all it seemed, they were on the doorstep of a small apartment complex, old brick walls a bit crumbly from age and more than a little covered in moss and vines, the plant sprawling its way up the side and around some of the windows. Rick opened the door, closing his umbrella and walking inside, while Morty hesitated for just a moment. What if he got caught, somehow? His Rick, the one he left drunkenly passed out on the couch at home, would surely be rousing by now, raring to drag Morty on another adventure or to work on his portal gun- the reminder of the stolen device dug into his back where he tucked it in his pants- and the teen wondered if Rick would even… be able to find him.

"You, uh… coming?”

“Y-yeah, sorry, I ah…” Morty shuffled into the building, closing a rather creaky door behind him and rubbing behind his head. “I got caught up in my t-t-thoughts I-I-I guess."

This wrinkle-less Rick only snorted, leading him up a few flights of narrow carpeted stairs, which Morty only tripped once on. He fiddled with a set of keys at his side, grunting about how useless keys were anyways as he shoved one into the lock, bumping the door with his shoulder a couple of times to get it to un-stick. With a grin, he opened his door wide, carelessly tossing the umbrella aside and tugging Morty in by the collar of his trademark yellow shirt. Morty’s poor heart raced at the contact, the beginnings of a blush crawling up his neck and flushing his cheeks.

"You can kick it on the- hang out on the couch, I’m gonna go take a piss.”

–

The day seemed to blur, then.

Rick asked where Morty was from, and he told him he was an out-of-stater. He took that to mean ‘runaway kid’, and he felt his gut twist again at the mild look of concern on his face before it faded completely, the ghost of where his laugh-lines would come in a haunting reminder of what he was doing. He asked about Morty’s home life, which he told him was a fair bit dysfunctional- his mother had a drinking problem and his father was a mooch, and even though he had a sister, she was as cold and shut off from him. Morty babbled about his grandfather, who he said was “Like his on-only friend, really.” But when Rick asked him why he ran, he flushed, leaning a bit forward into himself and gripping his arms tightly with shaking fingers. 

“U-uh, I’m…” He swallowed, not for the first time, around the bubbling anxiety churning away in his stomach. “I’m gay, and-”

“Say no more.” Rick held up a hand- Morty noticed he had several rings on- “Jesus fuck. That’s- that’s a tight spot, huh, Morty?”

Relieved that he didn’t press, the teen nodded beside him, hoping his flushed face and anxious shaking came off as if it was from his 'confession’ rather than the actual, awful feeling settling into his bones. Rick let out a deflated sound, watching him, and then slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry about that shit here, okay? You’re- shit, I’m not gonna out you o-o-r whatever. I’m not straight.”

Morty already knew this, and knew that if he ever really did come out to his family, they probably wouldn’t be too bothered- well, maybe Jerry would, but Morty doesn’t care about his opinion. But the unguarded way Rick was talking to him made his bones tingle. He had never known a Rick like this- gentle, kind, almost normal as far as things went- and he wondered what had set him off down the nihilistic path that would later grow him into a jaded shell of the man he used to be. The thought surely would have led him further down his anxiety spiral, and he was thankful for the large hand that settled on his shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze.

“Let’s order some Chinese food or some shit, I’m fu-fucking starving.” Rick quirked his unibrow at him and Morty felt his heart flutter in his chest.

“H-h-hey, Rick?” The man turned to him on the way to the landline, tilting his head just slightly. “Thanks.”

–

Morty wasn’t sure how it happened, but he was most certainly not complaining.

They were sprawled out on the couch- Morty had learned it was a futon the moment Rick flattened it out- and Rick was teasing at his throat, sending a delightful shiver down his back. He gripped onto the younger version of this grandpa tightly, bunching his top in this fists, a shaky, breathy moan pushing past his lips. Rick chuckled against him, licking up from his throat to his ear, and Morty’s dick gave an interested twitch in his pants. His hands were roaming, from up on his shoulder, to the hem of his bright shirt, and Morty’s breath hitched up in his throat as Rick began to trace circles against his hipbone.

“You ever get fucked before M-morty?” His scratchy rumble of a voice send shivers down his spine, raising the gooseflesh of his arms

“N-n-no, I haven’t,” He said around a little moan as Rick nipped the spot just below his jaw, where Morty was fairly sensitive. “G-god, fuck-”

Rick hummed, trailing his hand up Morty’s chest to tweak a nipple, and the teen could feel the stretch of his smile as he yelped and groaned. Morty’s head was spinning, hot and flushed, heart racing to be let out of his chest, lest it burst. Lightly, so lightly, he rolled his hips up against his younger grandpa, a pleased whine erupting from his throat as he found that Rick was sporting just as much of a hard on as he was.

“How you wanna do this, h-huh, baby?” Rick kissed his way down Morty’s neck, stopping to suck a modest hickey onto it. The bruise bloomed purple across the pale expanse of skin, and Rick smirked down at him. “Want me in you? Wanna f-feel me stretch you out, loosen you up?” The teen could only nod, voice lost to the moans that Rick was tugging from him, hands toying with his nipples roughly before flicking down to his jeans.

“I wanna make you see s-stars, babe.” Rick hummed, shifting only a bit to help Morty out of his shirt and pants, quickly doing the same with a practiced sort of ease, and Morty paused to admire his body- he was lean, almost wiry, a trail of blue hair making a path down into his boxers. “Gonna- gonna make you lose your fucking mind.”

Morty let himself be pushed back, with his legs tucked up onto his chest, where he was holding them there for Rick. The older man leaned down to kiss his way across and down the teen’s thighs, mouthing at his clothed dick. Morty almost jumped, the hot warmth of his mouth was such a shock, but Rick pressed more kisses, leaving Morty whining and needy, bucking his hips up against Rick’s mouth before the man took pity on him and pulled his underwear off and threw it to the pile of clothes on the ground. His dick was drooling with precum, and Rick wasted no time, reaching under the bed for something before taking his dick in hand and-

“A-ah!! Oh, fuck!” Morty moaned high in his throat, coming down to grip at the spiked blue locks of hair on Rick’s head. His whole cock was buried in his mouth, and he could- he could feel Rick swallowing around him, the burning, suctioning heat of his mouth threatening to consume Morty whole. He hadn’t realized that Rick had lubed up his fingers, and was slowly tracing a circle around his asshole, occasionally pressing at the tight ring of muscle. With the most vulgar sounding 'pop’, Rick looked up at him, pupils blown wide enough that it ate up his iris'.

“You still g-good with this, baby? W-w-want my fingers all up inside you?”

At his begged out “Yes, please, Rick-” Rick grinned wolfishly, a look Morty had only seen when a much older version of his grandfather was striking a particularly good drug deal, or when he had successfully dismantled an entire planet’s governmental system- it went straight to his dick, weeping and red against his stomach. In no time at all, Rick was back on his cock, bobbing his head as he pushed the first of his fingers into the body beneath him, hot and tight and wanting. “O-o-o-o-oh fuck,” Morty groaned, pushing back onto his finger a bit at it pumped in and out of him, the wet sound making his skin flush down to his shoulders. Rick continued on like this, with practiced motions, before pressing his second finger in, the slight burn of the stretch making Morty tighten before forcing himself to relax a bit. Rick moaned around his cock, and he noticed his grandpa tugging his boxers down, kicking them off before coming off his dick, drool dripping from his chin.

“Shit, Morty-” he shivered at hearing his name- “Babe, you’re so, so tight,"

"A-ahh…” Morty wiggled, rolling his hips down onto Rick’s prodding fingers, feeling them slip deeper and- “Ah!!"

"Found it,” Rick hummed triumphantly, circling the spot that made Morty cry out, had his dick drooling, the precome pooling on his navel, and Rick slipped a third finger in when he felt Morty’s walls flutter around him. The teen turned his head to the side, panting, moaning, babbling incoherent pleas to fuck him. He’s never felt so desperate for something in his life- Morty looks up at Rick, reaching around his legs to grip his cheeks, keeping them better pulled apart. “You think you’re ready for me?” 

“P-please, oh, please,” Morty begged, his eyes glassy and his face such a deep shade of red it was radiating heat. “Rick, I- I need it,”

“Say no m-more, baby, shh…” Rick leaned down to roll a condom on his dick, sweeping in for a bruising kiss as he pulled out his fingers, swallowing the moan that burst from Morty. He lined up, prodding gently with his cockhead for a moment before Morty begged again- Morty moaned low and loud, feeling his grandpa’s dick stretch him out. His dick was much bigger than his fingers, and Morty sighed happily, several months of jack-off material coming to fruition, the real deal above him and slowly pushing inside of his ass. He felt Rick settle against him, hands on the backs of his knees, and Morty whimpered.

That seemed to be what set Rick off, his hips pulling back before roughly thrusting in, the slap of flesh-on-flesh ringing in Morty’s ears as he was fucked. He kept brushing his prostate, and several bubbly moans and his begging of “Y-yes, yes, ohhh fuck, please,” poured from Morty’s opened mouth. One of his hands came down to help Morty jerk off, and the second his rough fingers were wrapped around his cock, Morty was gone. Embarrassingly fast, Morty came across his stomach, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he moaned, Rick’s hips slowing to a grind for a moment.

“I forget how- that virgins come so fast.” Rick laughed, rolling his hips up into Morty. “Can I keep going?”

Morty nodded quickly, and Rick pulled out for a moment, resting Morty on his side before pushing back into him, setting a breakneck pace, now only really chasing his own release. Oversensitive and tender, the teen drooled onto the futon, legs trembling where they laid, his heart hammering in his chest. He couldn’t believe he was actually getting fucked by Rick, that apparently this younger version of his grandpa was attracted to him, and all at once he felt his dick twitch where it laid limp against his leg, rousing with interest the longer Rick fucked into him. Encouraged by this, Rick leaned down to bite and suck at his neck, leaving marks that absolutely none of his clothes would ever be able to hide, and he weakly tugged at his own cock at the thought. Of getting caught by his fully grown grandpa, maybe, or his mom asking where he got the hickeys and being able to decipher his stammered avoidance- he doesn’t know why that’s doing it for him, he should be horrified at the thought, but-

“God, baby, l-l-look at you, you’re so fucking hot,” Rick rested his forehead on Morty’s shoulder, and watched him tug and twist at his dick, slowing for only a moment before snapping his hips hard up into Morty, and the teen yelped and moaned and fuck, he was coming again-

“R-R-Riiiiick, ohhhhh fuck,” Morty gripped himself, coming into his hand, the thick cum bubbling up in his fist as Rick’s pace turned frantic, and with a groan, the older man came against him, a low groan moaned into his back.

Several long moments passed like that, as if frozen in time, before Rick finally pulled out, the sound a loud, vulgar squelch that made Morty hide his face in his hands. “Fuck baby, that- that was hot,” Rick collapsed next to him, tying up the used condom and tossing it aside carelessly. Morty felt guilt creeping up his spine, settling in his heart- what did he just do? What if Rick remembered this in the future? Would he care, would he be furious-

“H-hey, Morty, calm down.” Rick reached out and rubbed his shoulder, concern furrowing his brow. “You okay?”

Morty felt the shameful tears well up in his eyes before he could stop them, and they poured over his reddened cheeks in hot streams, Rick reaching out to rub them away as Morty held back a sob. “R-Rick,” was all he could say, the rest of his words seemingly dying in his throat. “Rick, Rick,”

The older teen pulled himself up the futon, rubbing a soothing hand up and down his back. “Hey, shhh. Morty, I’m- I’m here.” Morty felt himself sobs roughly. “What’s wrong baby, did I hurt you?”

“N-no, I just- I-” Morty couldn’t even articulate what he wanted to say, anything he possibly could felt wrong. This was meant to be a thing to help him get it out of his system, not endear him to this younger version of his grandpa. That awful, dark feeling settled its weight back into his stomach, and Morty was certain that this was where he would die. “I-I-I’m sorry, Rick I just-”

“Shhhh, Morty, it’s alright.” Rick hummed, resting his head on Morty’s own. “Some people, Morty, they just- they cry after sex, its too overwhelming for them, and-and-and its nothing to worry about, Morty.”

Morty wished that made him feel okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> – I mmmmight turn this into a multichapter fic!! I really love this idea and its wrecking me, thank you so much
> 
> lmk if y'all'd be interested in that??
> 
> edit: omg you guys <3 <3 <3  
> I'll def be making this a full-length multichaper fic now!! thank you so much!
> 
> 11/14/2017: fixed some errors


	2. Skies above they radiate me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter titles are lyrics from Oh Wonder's "Without You" btw! I really love that song.

The next morning, Morty woke with a start, shooting up straight on the futon he fell asleep on. For a moment, he didn't quite recognize where he was, anxiety gripping his chest and panic flicking in his eyes. What was this place? Why did he sleep here? Did he get kidnapped? For a few, fear-stricken minutes, Morty sat completely still, breaths coming in short bursts while he squeezed his eyes shut. Think, Morty! He could feel the sweat on his forehead matting his hair. You were having a really good dream about Rick, and-

"You look like you saw a g-ghost, Morty!" Rick bellowed from the hall, leaning on the wall. "Have a nightmare or-or somethin'?" 

Just like that, reality came crashing down around him, the reminder that yesterday had not been a lust-induced dream, but in fact the reality he had chosen for himself. He felt it all at once- the vague soreness of his ass, the tender marks littering his throat sensitive to the air, the strange displacement he felt from time travelling. Morty flopped back onto the futon, pulling up the threadbare blanket Rick had apparently thrown on him as he slept up to his eyes. This was so incredibly dangerous- he had altered the course of time without a second thought, and if every movie and TV show about time travel that he ever saw was right, he'd irreversibly fucked up his timeline for a quick lay. With his own grandpa.

"Not a morning person, huh?" He asked, walking into the little kitchenette beside the livingroom. "D-do ya want some pancakes? I promise to to burn them too-too bad." It seems he was making them regardless; Morty could hear him shuffle around the space, grabbing a pan and presumably batter.

"A-ah, sure, Rick." The teen finally grumbled out, rubbing at his eyes and actually looking at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's, like, seven in the morning!"

"Well, duh, dipshit. I have to go to school soon. It's finals week." Rick rolled his eyes at the boy, mixing a few ingredients in a bowl. "Which meeeeeeans-" the sound of batter dropping on to a sizzling hot pan filled his ears. "-that I make my fuckin' sweet ass pancakes."

Morty laughed, releasing himself from his blanket prison to- he guesses... get ready for the day. He pulled his underwear back over his hips, trying not to make a face at the tenderness of his body. As he washed his face in the bathroom, he wondered what to do about his situation. He didn't just want to leave Rick with no explanation, but what else could he do? The guilt that kept bubbling away last night boiled up into his chest, the sensation washing over his whole body in a cold rush. It made his knees shake, his heart pound- he was resting his head on the rim of the sink to ground himself, cold porcelain a welcome sensation among the inferno of loathing he felt. He must have been in there for a while, doing that, because before he knew it his younger grandpa was calling out for him.

\--

Breakfast was short, but pleasant enough.

Morty watched the way Rick ate, morbidly fascinated in how similar his mannerisms were. He had a plate stacked high with pancakes, but was only putting syrup on them as he ate them. "It gets all pasty and soggy, a-a-and I fucking hate it." Morty nodded along, watching unwrinkled hands flex around his cutlery, forgetting for a moment his own steaming plate of pancakes and instead looking at Rick distantly. He was drinking a tall glass of orange juice, his favorite, the carton on the table so he could keep pouring himself more glassfulls. Morty, shaking himself out of the trance of watching Rick eating, and chowed down on his own, his hungry stomach gurgling. 

"S-so what your plan?" At Morty's clueless look, Rick continued. "You know, like... are you sticking a-around, or will I never see you again?"

Morty swallowed around not just his pancakes, but the sudden rush of sadness that settled in his chest. "U-uh, I was gonna... h-h-h-hop around I guess? I don't want to ah... stay in- in one place too long." Even as he said it, he felt a twinge of guilt, just from such an indirect lie. "B-because of my folks..."

"I get you, yeah." Rick took one final swig from his glass, gathering up his dishes to clean them up while Morty sought out the rest of his clothes, pulling his jeans and shirt back on. He picked the portal gun back up from under the futon for a moment, tucking it into his back pocket once again. "Well, if you ever- if you find yourself in town again, you can uh. You can come here." He said it as if it was nothing, walking over to hand him a small key. "J-just let yourself in."

Morty's face lit up, as much as he didn't want it to. This was basically an invitation to come back to visit- maybe he'd be able to sneak the portal gun away from his grandpa more often. He felt like a stereotype of a teenage girl, giddy to sneak out of the house for a night of fun and games. "T-thanks so much, Rick!" Morty smiled at him, watching the beginnings of a blush creep across the other teen's face. A pleasant, warm feeling spread in his chest, his heart fluttering at the sight. 

"See ya, Morty."

\--

Morty regretted portaling home as soon as he did it. His legs wobbled beneath him, the strange unsettled sensation that was making his bones ache dissipated as he settled back into the right time; it was only a few minutes after he had initially left from this point of view, even though he'd been gone for the day. The weight of the gun suddenly felt grander, like a boulder was chained to his wrist and he just couldn't let go of it. Everything looked the same, much to his relief- the weird science shit Rick kept around was still stacked high on the shelves, tools and chemicals were scattered across his desk- so he put the portal gun back where he found it. Morty let out a silent sigh of relief, so glad that he didn't fuck up the timeline, that he didn't cause himself to be un-made in some way, his temporal permanence a weight on his shoulders. He only just barely heard the loud stomping of his actually-old, correct-point-in-time grandpa making a beeline for the garage.

"M-OURGH-ty!" Rick belched, hanging off the door a bit, flask in hand. "W-w-we gotta, its time for adventure, Morty. I gotta steal- steal some Nublian Crystals, don't- don't ask any st-UUGH-pid questions."

Everything seemed... normal? Rick didn't seem to remember him in the past- of course, Morty hadn't asked, either. The thought left his mind as quick as it came, slipping like sand through a grate. He chucked his phone onto the washing machine, the tech landing with a solid noise. "A-are you sure? You seem pretty-"

Rick had walked around him, snagging his portal gun off his desk and fiddling with it. "Let's gooooooo, bitch!" The old man practically jumped through the oozing portal, Morty following close on his heels. He wished that he had time to change clothes, or shower. He crashed into Rick's back upon stepping out of the portal, making Rick grunt and let him stumble after losing his balance. "Be careful, you little s-shit."

The planet seemed average enough, except for the lack of living organisms or civilization anywhere. "S-so, is this like, a weird drug thing, Rick?"

"Better, Morty!" Rick turned to him, a bit crazed. "This shit, Morty, t-this shit is the best fucking seasoning when ground up and put into pies. It's- it's fucking phenomenal." Rick sputtered, leaving him into some kind of forest. "Your mom's pumpkin pie? I-it ain't got SHIT on this stuff, Morty." The trees were tall, fuchsia colored things, with long spindly vines that had pretty little blue flowers blooming along them. "P-problem is, the pro-problem, Morty, is that these c-c-crystals are guarded by a fucking huge-ass monster."

Morty tripped over himself for a moment, making a displeased whine from the back of his throat. "W-w-what? Did you even grab a gun?!" 

Rick reached into his coat and pulled out the small handgun he usually brings on their missions. "D-UGGH-h." He tucked it back into the folds of his coat with a flourish, marching on ahead, trying not to stumble. Morty followed, unease blooming in his chest, up his throat, behind his eyes. It's not that he didn't trust Rick- well, he didn't always trust him, anyway- it was that when he got a bit more drunk than usual, their adventures tended to get more and more dangerous.

So Morty was a bit more jumpy than normal, a little more skittish, reaching out to grab onto Rick's coat when he heard a particularly blood-curdling screech. "Rick!"

"Shh, Morty," Rick ducked then behind one of the massive trees, peeking around it in the direction of the noise. "There it is, the fucking- the little bastard. " The older man batted one of the spindly vines away from his eyes. "We're gonna go slaughter that thing, Morty. A-a-a-and we're gonna, we're gonna rip that crystal right out of its cold, dead hands."

Morty, groaning, rested his head on the bark of the tree. "Rick, can't we just- why don't we just sneak around it?" 

"Because, M-OURGH-ty, we aren't gonna be pussies."

\--

One awful battle with a six-legged creature later saw Morty and Rick shoving handfuls of crystal fragments into a bag, their iridescence glimmering in the teen's eyes. The fight itself was fairly uneventful- the beast wasn't nearly as large as Morty was thinking it was going to be, even though it was vicious. "So, pies, huh?"

"Fuck yeah." Rick tied up his bag, watching Morty do the same with shaking hands. "Morty this- this may not seem important to you now, but we're the only planet that invented fucking pies. We make a- if we make a bunch of pies, we can sell them-" Morty stopped listening as Rick babbled on about the Pie Market in the galaxy, a seemingly complicated and long one by the way Ricks hands were waving about. 

He shot a portal out, and as they stepped through, Morty felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was always, always on edge when off-planet; the uncertainty of everything made his head swim. Being back home made his heart take a temporary break from the harsh pace it had begun to pick up. Rick was still talking, but by now Morty was so far out of it that Rick's voice was just the a calming hum in his brain.

"Anyway, Morty, I'm gonna go bake some piiiiiies!" Rick laughed, snatching Morty's bag of Nublian crystals and bolting through the garage door. The boy sighed, picking up his phone from where he had left it on the washing machine. It was three in the morning. Fatigue settled heavily in his bones, making them ache as he dragged himself up the stairs.

Morty was surprised that Rick hadn't mentioned anything about Morty going back in time- shouldn't he remember? Or did it happen so long ago that Rick forgot? His brain swam with questions- maybe he had wiped his own memory? Or did remember, but just didn't care? The teen slipped out of his pants, tossing them into his hamper before settling down on his bed for the night. Hopefully, he'd get some well-needed shut eye before school tomorrow. And, with any luck, maybe he'd figure out what the fuck is going on with Rick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try to update this once a week, hopefully.


End file.
